vol_scouter

Merlyn, As usual, when shown not to have the better argument, you pick at the edges. By your definition, there exists no consensus opinion because it is no harmony - the minority is very vocal though at this time it remains the majority opinion. Your point had been to discredit the discussion against AGW by saying that the critics here were not able to make such statements. When shown that you are once again wrong, you try to turn the discussion. There are scientists on this list and professional climatologists who based upon available evidence do not believe in AGW. On either si

Merlyn, There are professional climate experts who dispute AGW. I believe that being a full time researcher with a PhD in theoretical physics gives me the credentials to evaluate the validity of scientific models and arguments. The evidence that has been presented to date provides some evidence for global warming but it is far from convincing for AGW especially since the changes made to the raw data, which raw data is used, and how it is evaluated is not published. I am sorry that your understanding of the scientific community precludes understanding how a powerful viewpoint can in

Beevah, You make a good point about a lack of emphasis in the south on getting a good education. I am was born and raised in the south so I can be critical of my brethren. I have a BS in engineering, an MS and PhD in physics, and an MD. I am very well educated, articulate, and well read. I have presented talks all over the world on aspects of my research (some of the talks have been invited). Despite this kind of record, I frequently face bigotry due to the fact that I hail from the south. I would imagine that my Georgia brethren have experienced similar discrimination from the

Can anyone on the list confirm this story?

I really get tired of the narrow minded prejudice of the left to Southerners because they do not like some of the viewpoints. Why do you think that northerners are more knowledgeable? It is an arrogant, narrow minded, and bigoted attitude. Many of us who are extremely well educated and knowledgeable do not agree with your conclusions. Furthermore, global cooling is a far more serious problem for human survival than is global warming. The earth was much warmer during the eras of dinosaurs and it is felt that it was lush with plant life. Ages with global cooling have a far less surface ar

Hal, I don't know what I posted leads you to imply that the BSA should exclude a group. I did not say that. As to the numbers, here are the CDC information: Following is the distribution of the estimated number of cases of HIV/AIDS diagnosed among adults and adolescents in the 34 states with confidential name-based HIV infection reporting, by transmission category. A breakdown by sex is provided where appropriate. Transmission Category Estimated # of HIV/AIDS Cases, in 2007 Adult and Adolescent Male A

There are two distinct issues in this debate - 1. Integrity and 2. Consensus opinions in science. Integrity - Some scientists get enamored with an idea (i.e. - AGW) and sacrifice their integrity to defend their position. Sometimes this is more innocent in nature such as a scientist who gets a good idea that seems to be correct and then doggedly pursues the idea discounting the negatives and highlighting the positives; this is something that we all do as in these discussions. A relatively rare but more serious and damaging problem with integrity is where poor science is pursued for non-s

Troop24 wrote: "Unfortunately the real lie began a long time before this when these men and women first realized that they were in fact attracted to people of their own gender and chose to cover their feelings and real desires in the name of faith, propriety, or self control. This denial is forced upon them because they have been raised to believe that it is sinful and evil to love someone of the same sex, even though you cannot control it. So these people live lives of shame and fear of discovery of their true identity. They seek out their true desires in the seedier areas that most of u

Dan, My research is in radiobiology among other areas. The risks that you mention are blown out of proportion. You make a good point about spent fuel versus waste. If we would copy France, Japan, and other forward thinking countries, we would have a limited number of breeder reactors. The breeders would produce more nuclear fuel while taking waste products with very long half lives and transforming the waste into much shorter half lives. This means that the storage time is not nearly so long before the material has decayed to stable nuclear species. The waste problems have been

Dan, I am truly sorry about the losses in your family. I will try to dig up some of the RERF data about birth defects. I know that the incidence in the RERF database was lower than anticipated for first and second generations (there was some thought that the defects would 'skip' a generation but that did not prove to be true). Since you think that most of the energy R&D money is from big oil, you are going to the wrong talks. That is why you have been mislead about the risks of radiation. Most energy R&D (unless including oil money looking for new oil fields) is from the

The radon cited in the article is confounding because it comes from the uranium that occurs naturally in the ground (it is a decay product) and from coal fired power plants. So the adjustment would be to decrease the incidence of lung cancers - not to increase. Thus, it strengthens the conclusions that there is no ill effects due to TMI. There have been extensive data collection to determine the amount and distribution of the radiation release. I have sat through several lectures on the topic. There have been several longitudinal studies on workers in the radiation industry: Hanford, K-25

John-in-KC, The amount of radiation released at the Three Mile Island site was small and there have been no significant effects. The news media has terrified the public of nuclear power. As to Chernobyl, the Russians were taking chances and knew it. The Russian designs were for ease & low cost of construction and operation. There are designs now that if the control rods are removed, the physics of the reactor will shut it down without any kind of intervention. We cannot decrease our dependence on foreign oil without nuclear energy. The climate models are fraught wit

HiLo, You are correct, pedophiles are not the same as homosexuals. Pedophiles, by definition, have sex with prepubertal children - most commonly of the same sex. If the child is pubertal, then the relationship is homosexual for an adult and a child of the same sex. So in general, adults having sex with cubs is pedophilia whereas same sex relationships with boy scout age children are homosexual in nature. As to the effect of adding openly homosexual adults and youth to the BSA, I think that there would be an almost immediate massive cancellation of troops in many sections of t

So Dai Nippon means great Japan. In many ways, that term is similar to Brits, Kiwis, and Yanks. I believe that the context of the term determines whether it is offensive or not. Certainly, if the term is used in describing Japanese soldiers from WWII, it would be in keeping with the terms used by allied forces and is not necessarily derogatory to current Japanese. It could be offensive if referring to a Japanese citizen of today. Having read several books dealing with the Japanese treatment of POWs, the term Nip is being kind to the inhuman treatment of the POWs. There can be no defense

Eamonn, If the city had or was in the process of doing the same thing to all groups that have membership requirements, then the city would have a good case. However, the city has singled out the Boy Scouts and ignored other groups. I am not an attorney but from this preliminary ruling, the Boy Scouts must have a valid point of law.

gwd-scouter, The reason that our brand name medications are more expensive is that we are only one of two countries(the other is Japan I believe) that allow the pharmaceutical to make a profit. If the government that so many of you wish to entrust with your medical care would insist that Europe and Canada as well as other socialist countries pay a profit, then our prescription costs would be less. So the difference in prices is due to our government. If we do the same since we are now a socialist country, the pharmaceutical companies will go out of existence (those evil capitalist

The Federal Court's comments seem to be very positive. Perhaps this case will have a good ending by saying that the city cannot pick who they do not like but rather they will have to evict all groups that have membership standards. If a group has membership standards then it discriminates against those who do not meet the standards. Philadelphia has elevated homosexuality to a more important standard than other groups which is not allowed.

What Landrieu and Reid have done would be called a bribe in any other setting. There has not been sufficient time for the senators to read a 2000+ page complex bill and understand all the implications. It is sad to see the sun setting on our freedoms as an unconstitutional bill goes through without the consideration that the congress has no authority to destroy the best health system in the world.

John, You are so right. Immediately after the terror attacks of 9/11 there were many young men who wished to sign up with the military who were turned away. Those young men would have allowed more rotation of our troops. Every war has shown that it takes 'boots on the ground' to win. We can only 'win' in the middle east with more troops.

I have little information on Ailes but of what I know, there is no reason that he shouldn't be so honored. Why is the left so intolerant of people and ideas that do not agree with their own. The left is much more intolerant than the right that they so vehemently criticize.

NWScouter, If 60% of your representative's constituents agree with his stance on healthcare reform, then he is voting correctly. From many articles that I have read, that is not the case in all congressional districts. I agree, that to an extent the party in power should get much of what it wants. However, if the party in power wants to pass a piece of legislation and their majority of their constituents on a district basis are against the legislation, the congressmen have a duty to not pass it no matter what the party leaders want. From what I have read, that has not been the cas

Gern, You can wish to be governed but I want to be represented as the founding fathers setup our representative democracy. Merlyn, If the majority pushes the congress to deny rights, then they can be denied as I outlined. Certainly, a minority can rebel at any time they wish but that was irrelevant to the point. NWScouter, My representative sends out reguar mailings about what is happening and has polls in his district. Additionally, he meets with constituents often. He votes the opinion of his district. Just because a representative won does not mean that his/h

Merlyn, Once again you are wrong. A constitutional amendment could be brought before the congress who are representing the views of the majority to strip a group of some right. If that amendment is then ratified by the states, it becomes the law of the land which the SCOTUS must then follow. Such a sequence of events is very unlikely but possible. Then that group will have lost the right without a means to restore it except by repealing the amendment. So the majority can rule whenever we elect people who believe in a representative democracy. We currently do not have

In this country, the POTUS and governors enforce the legislation of the elected representatives. Your thought process is why democracy is dying in this country.

Majority rules is the basis of democracy. Hopefully, the majority will see fit to pass laws to protect minorities from tyranny of the majority. However, the more common phenomenom is now for the the minority to dictate to the majority which is no longer democracy. We do not elect anyone to govern us - we elect people to REPRESENT us. That means that they should represent the views of their constituents. We are (or were) a representative democracy. We are not to governed by our elected officials but represented. So if the constituents in a congressional district are overwhelming